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An annual rite of passage has come, yet again. One that many will pour over, and owners will scoff. Forbes magazine has released their valuations of all 30 clubs in Major League Baseball. It should be no surprise who is ranked the highest. As reported by Forbes:

Upshot: Team owners are getting rich like never before. During 2007, revenue for MLB's 30 teams went up 7.7%, to $5.5 billion. The average team is now worth $472 million, 9.5% higher than last year and 143% more than when Forbes first calculated team values in 1998. Again the Bronx Bombers sit atop baseball with a value of $1.3 billion. George Steinbrenner, who paid $10 million for the team in 1973, could probably teach Warren Buffett a thing or two about investing.

Consider this: The Yankee brand (the portion of the team's value attributable to its name) alone is worth $241 million, almost as much as the entire Florida Marlins franchise. When the Yankees move into their new stadium in 2009 the team will be worth at least $1.5 billion because of the rich bounty of sponsorship and premium seating revenue.

The Business of Sports Network has been working overtime pulling in a collection of the valuations going back to 2002. The key data by ranking has been placed in one location for the past 6 years, allowing you to see who’s gone up, and who’s gone down. Links to each team’s detailed page on Forbes (2002 the exception. Links go to team sites) for a given year is provided.